Changing Preschoolers' Attitudes toward Animals: A Zoo Program and an Evaluation.

Reames, Judi; Rajecki, D. W.

A zoo outreach program for preschoolers was evaluated by assessing the reactions of the children themselves. Children's attitudes toward certain animals were measured before and after live exposure to those animals in regular preschool settings. The attitudinal measure was a nonverbal expression of affect as elicited by pictures. Additionally, there was a measure of subjects' awareness of certain information about animal body coverings and other features of anatomy. Results indicated that there were more positive affective reactions to the animals' pictures after live exposure than before and that children's awareness of animal anatomy had increased. A discussion of the results centers on the validity of the current measures and ends by recommending future approaches for zoo outreach programs aimed at preschoolers. (Author/RH)